“One name, one life, one plaque.” This is the motto of the Last Address project. We are standing before a \u0417\u0430\u0449\u0438\u0442\u043d\u0438\u043a\u0430\u043c \u0434\u0435\u043c\u043e\u043a\u0440\u0430\u0442\u0438\u0438 Plaque. It is a simple memorial but a stark reminder of a dark period in Russian history.
The \u0417\u0430\u0449\u0438\u0442\u043d\u0438\u043a\u0430\u043c \u0434\u0435\u043c\u043e\u043a\u0440\u0430\u0442\u0438\u0438 Plaque before us is part of the Last Address project. This initiative commemorates victims of Soviet repression. These repressions spanned from the early years of the U.S.S.R. to the Stalin era. They included widespread persecution, forced labor camps and political purges.
The Nobel Peace Prize-winning Memorial human rights group estimates at least 3 million victims of Soviet political terror. The real figure could be four times higher. The Last Address project installs commemorative plaques on buildings. These were the last known residences of victims before their arrest. The \u0417\u0430\u0449\u0438\u0442\u043d\u0438\u043a\u0430\u043c \u0434\u0435\u043c\u043e\u043a\u0440\u0430\u0442\u0438\u0438 Plaque serves as a permanent reminder of their suffering.
Each plaque bears the name, profession, and birth date of the victim. It also shows the date of arrest, execution, or death in the Gulag. Private donations fund these plaques. Installation often involves a small ceremony. Relatives and activists attend these ceremonies. For many families, a \u0417\u0430\u0449\u0438\u0442\u043d\u0438\u043a\u0430\u043c \u0434\u0435\u043c\u043e\u043a\u0440\u0430\u0442\u0438\u0438 Plaque is the only way to honor their loved ones.
The Last Address project draws inspiration from the Stolpersteine initiative. Stolpersteine memorializes Holocaust victims in Europe. Stolpersteine places small brass plaques in the pavement. They are outside the victims’ last chosen residences. Similarly, the Last Address project seeks to personalize the memory of repression.
Sergei Tyutryumov was one such victim. He was executed by shooting on March 7, 1938. Soviet authorities accused him of “counter-revolutionary” activities. They also accused him of “anti-Soviet agitation.” Tyutryumov was fully rehabilitated in the 1950s. His family had no knowledge of his fate until then. They believed he might still be alive.
Almost seven decades later, Tyutryumov’s relatives honored his memory. The Last Address project installed a memorial plaque in his honor. It was placed on the house where he lived in the 1930s. His granddaughter, Elena Shatunova, expressed gratitude. She said it was important to preserve the memory of her grandfather.
Oksana Matievskaya leads tours along the “Last Address” routes in Moscow. She notes the echoes of the past in modern Russia. By studying the past, we see that some stories unfold in the same patterns.
Despite the importance of the Last Address project, it faces challenges. Some buildings refuse to allow plaque installations. Even though building management must approve each one. And even though the names on the plaques belong to people who have been officially rehabilitated. Some plaques have disappeared. In some cases, authorities removed them. They claimed the plaques did not “perpetuate the memory of outstanding events.” They also said they did not represent “figures of national history and culture.”
Even amid Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine, the Last Address project continues. It stresses the importance of reflecting upon history. As Matievskaya said, the country will not move forward until it properly assesses its history. She says it must call the criminals criminals.
The \u0417\u0430\u0449\u0438\u0442\u043d\u0438\u043a\u0430\u043c \u0434\u0435\u043c\u043e\u043a\u0440\u0430\u0442\u0438\u0438 Plaque reminds us of the value of human life. It emphasizes that the state has no right to take it. It also stresses the irreplaceability of every life lost. Let us take a moment to reflect on the lives remembered by this \u0417\u0430\u0449\u0438\u0442\u043d\u0438\u043a\u0430\u043c \u0434\u0435\u043c\u043e\u043a\u0440\u0430\u0442\u0438\u0438 Plaque.